clear of the snare; but the innocent Stag knew nothing of snares or
gins, so into a snare he stept, and snap! he was fast.

Now was the time for a true friend to show his friendship. But the
Jackal, as we already know, was a humbug; accordingly, all he did was to
sit by the side of the Stag, and try not to look pleased.

"Oh dear, what shall I do?" said the Stag, when he found himself caught.
"Oh my friend, do help me out."

"You shock me, friend," said the Jackal, pulling a long face; "surely
you have not forgotten that it is Sunday? We are told in the Ten
Commandments to do no work on the Sabbath day. If it were not so, how
gladly would I help you!" So saying, he wiped away a crocodile tear. He
sat down and waited in the hope that the Stag would die, and then he
would eat him.

But the faithful Crow was not far. Though his friend the Stag would not
so much as cast him a look, the Crow followed him ever, biding his time;
and now the time had come.

The Crow perched on a neighbouring tree, and said--

"Dear friend, I am only a weak little bird, and I cannot help you; but I
can teach you to help yourself. My advice is, pretend to be dead, and
when the Hunter comes, he will open the snare without any care, and you
can escape."

"Thank you, long-suffering friend!" said the Stag; and so he did. When
the Huntsman came, he thought the Stag was dead; he opened the snare,
and before he was aware, the Stag was up and off and away.

The Stag asked his friend the Crow to forgive
him, and they lived happily together as
before. As for the treacherous
Jackal, he never came
near them more.

[Illustration]

The Monkey and the Crows

IN a certain land, a flock of Crows built their nests in the branches of
a huge cotton-tree.

In that country, the climate is not the least like ours. It is hot all
the year round, and for eight months the sun blazes like a fiery
furnace, so that the people who live there are burnt as black as your
boot; then after eight months comes the rain, and the rain comes down in
bucketsful, with lightning fit to blind you, and thunder enough to crack
your head. These Crows were quite happy in their nests, whatever
happened; for when it was hot, the leaves of the trees sheltered them
from the sun, and in the rainy season the leaves kept them pretty dry.

One evening there came a terrible storm, with torrents of rain like
Noah's flood. In the